The present invention relates to devices for dispensing fluids at a slow rate for a sustained period of time, and in one important aspect to such devices used for dispensing medicinal fluids into a patient's body.
The art is replete with various devices adapted for dispensing medicinal fluids at a slow sustained rate, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,295,849; 2,602,446; 2,605,765; 3,279,653; 3,398,860; 3,468,308; 3,469,578; 3,486,539; 3,895,631 and 3,951,147 being illustrative examples.
While the fluid dispensing devices described in these patents may with varying facility be able to dispense fluids into patients, most are more complex than may be desired, many require activation or regulation by a person attaching them which if improperly done can result in the wrong dispensing rate, and most do not provide the level of protection against inadvertent improper operation of the device or tampering with the device by the patient or another that may be desired.